President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. is expected to meet the leaders of at least four Asian countries on the sidelines of the 43rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and Related Summits in Jakarta, Indonesia, next week.

Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Assistant Secretary for ASEAN Affairs Daniel Espiritu said this days ahead of Marcos' participation in the said regional meet, which will run from Sept. 5 to 7.

"There are actually several. Not all of these are confirmed, ang iba niluluto pa (We're still trying to make them work)," he said in a pre-departure briefing in Malacañang on Thursday, Aug. 31.

"There are others, but I cannot confirm at this point yet the others because they're still being arranged," he added.

He, however, shared that the President is set to have meetings with the following Asian leaders:

• Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet
• South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol
• Timor Leste Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão
• Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh

According to Espiritu, Marcos' meeting with his Vietnamese counterpart will focus on strengthening the strategic partnership between the two countries. They will also talk about cooperation on rice and food security.

President Marcos and President Yoon will discuss new areas of cooperation in time for the 75th-year anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between the Philippines and the Republic of Korea. At the same time, Marcos will thank Korea for its support to the Philippines during Typhoon Egay.

"Also, they intend to donate, under the ASEAN Plus 3 Rice Reserve Arrangement, a total of 750 metric tons of rice to the Philippines, 400 of which are already in the pipeline," Espiritu said.

Meanwhile, Marcos will reassure Gusmão of the Philippines' support for Timor Leste's application for ASEAN membership.

"With Xanana Gusmão of Timor Leste, the President will congratulate him on his assumption of office last July," Espiritu said.

"At the same time, we will reassure Timor Leste of our cooperation with their country in the years to come, especially in their preparation for final membership in ASEAN," he added.

The DFA official said Marcos will extend the same well-wishes to Manet while discussing other matters regarding Philippine-Cambodia ties.

"With Hun Manet, again, the President intends to congratulate the new Prime Minister on his assumption of office," he said.

"We'll be discussing matters of legal concern between our two countries," he added.